Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed why he decided to choose Cristiano Ronaldo as captain at the weekend, just two weeks after the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was punished for ill-discipline.
Club President Says Ronaldo Would Be A Sub For His Team
The Red Devils suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa on Sunday, a game that marked a new era at Villa Park as Unai Emery took charge of the Villans for the first time.
United's starting XI announcement was met with widespread surprise after it showed Ronaldo would captain United on the day, a decision that appeared to leave many confused considering the 37-year-old's off-field troubles this season.
Ronaldo was punished for walking down the tunnel early last month as the 20-time English champions beat Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, with Ten Hag dropping him from United's match-day squad to take on Chelsea days later.
The Dutchman, however, seemed to see the Portuguese as the only suitable candidate for captaincy on Sunday as Harry Maguire was only a substitute and Bruno Fernandes missed the match through suspension.
"Harry Maguire is on the bench, Bruno Fernandes is our captain but was not available," he told reporters.
"David De Gea is a leader but a goalie is far away from the outfield, then Casemiro is a leader, but he doesn't speak 100 percent perfect English and Cristiano Ronaldo is a leader, and especially the leader of the team, so he is the man – it is clear."
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It was not a happy day at the office for Ronaldo, whose frustration got the better of him in the second half following a tussle with Villa defender Tyrone Mings which resulted in a yellow card for the ex-Real Madrid talisman.
The No. 7 has now made 16 appearances in all competitions this season for United, scoring just three goals.
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